Hidden species diversity in an iconic living fossil vertebrate

Ancient, species-poor lineages persistently occur across the Tree of life. These lineages are likely to contain unrecognized species diversity masked by the low rates of morphological evolution that characterize living fossils. Halecomorphi is a lineage of ray-finned fishes that diverged from its cl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology letters (2005) 2022-11, Vol.18 (11), p.20220395
Main Authors: Brownstein, Chase D, Kim, Daemin, Orr, Oliver D, Hogue, Gabriela M, Tracy, Bryn H, Pugh, M Worth, Singer, Randal, Myles-McBurney, Chelsea, Mollish, Jon Michael, Simmons, Jeffrey W, David, Solomon R, Watkins-Colwell, Gregory, Hoffman, Eva A, Near, Thomas J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Fins
Animals
Fisheries
Fossils
Head
Vertebrates - genetics
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Summary:Ancient, species-poor lineages persistently occur across the Tree of life. These lineages are likely to contain unrecognized species diversity masked by the low rates of morphological evolution that characterize living fossils. Halecomorphi is a lineage of ray-finned fishes that diverged from its closest relatives before 200 Ma and is represented by only one living species in eastern North America, the bowfin, Linnaeus. Here, we use double digest restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing and morphology to illuminate recent speciation in bowfins. Our results support the delimitation of a second living species of , with the timing of diversification dating to the Plio-Pleistocene. This delimitation expands the species diversity of an ancient lineage that is integral to studies of vertebrate genomics and development, yet is facing growing conservation threats driven by the caviar fishery.
ISSN:1744-957X
1744-957X
DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2022.0395